Gilas coach Tab Baldwin says a lot of work needs to be done in practice. Jerome Ascano

THERE was no Mr. Nice Guy for Tab Baldwin — at least in the early moments of Gilas Pilipinas practice on Monday night.

In a rare show of emotion, the national coach raised his voice at his players when they couldn’t execute a routine weave drill properly, his voice rising above the din at the Meralco Gym.

“With the national team, you hope you don’t have to use too heavy a hand with players, but sometimes you do,” the American-Kiwi tactician said after the two-hour training session, a day after coming off a day-off.

They Said It!

“Maybe the players were just not into it at the start. Some players do not want to do the 3-man weave drill at the start of practice because it requires running at almost full speed." - pureshooter

“But the best thing is that these guys are such high-quality guys that they adjust pretty quickly. They understand the job and the task at hand,” he added of his wards, who are fighting for spots in the team that’s vying to surpass its silver-medal finish in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship.

“So I’m not overly concerned about having to step and play tough guy every now and then,” he continued. “They’re not too concerned about it either.”